Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-12-22
CHRISTMAS AT HOME.

ness came in part from the general serious
ness of religious works AS when the
plague reigned in Europe, or in London,
all gayety ceased, all halls of art and pleas
ure became empty and remained closed, SO
when Protestant and Catholic lived in a
hot warfare of words and violence, all the
forms OF g!adness suffered and Christmas de-
clined not only because of the hardness of
Puritan dogma, but also because of the Sc
verify of the age The wedding-feast music
and the theater suffered along with the last
days OF December Melancholy sermons
and doleful poetry were more popular in
early America than Christmas gifts and
Christmas wreaths. The inner life expresses
itself in some external symbols
These December days still stand as the
picture of modern civilization The run
ming to and fro in street and shop, the
crowded cars, the hurrying carriages with
wives or mothers or sisters or true-loves
inside, tho evergreen trees in the market
places, the hilari.y OF the old and the
young, the happier face of each 1aboring
man, each clerk, each sewing girl, proclaim
the tremendous change civilization has
undergone since Saint Alexander. Calvin.
Edwards and Whitedeld. 1t is as though
church and State and horce and workshop
were now asking Christmas to bo the
emblem of their spirit or the mirror to
catch their images. Looking in to our good
day so near at hand, we can see the picture
of q Nation Mt peace and almost loaded
down with prosperity.
Ii any members of the new generation
would learn the superiority of 1887 over
the bygone years they can reach their in
formation by marking those four Christ
masses which came in those four winters
when million men were encamped upon
the battle fields between the Potomac and
the Rio Grande A few soldiers came home
- g.. u h.
the old fire-side but the vast multitude
were compelled to pass the sacred day in
camp or upon the laborious march Thou
sands were in the grave when those morn
ings dawnsd The bloody battle of Freder-
icksburg was fought only few days before
ths coming of that joyous festival; and
Stone River and Holly Springs came in
those days in which joy was accustomed to
make home more of paradise. Thousands
Of Christmas presents were their way
toward soldiers who would be dead before
the package from mother, wife or sister
had reached the hand and heart named on
the gift
In those winters the December poetry was
sad as dirge. One little waif comes back
to memory:
"Only another sword
Dripping with human blood,
Only another drop,
Swelling the crimson flood.
"Onlv another tear
Wiped from the face of time,
Only a brother dear
Lostin his manhoods prime.
Smoothly the garments fo.d
Over the silent breast
Only another soul
Gone to the dreamless rest"
The morning of December %, 1852, let
! its light fall upon fifteen thousand of these
silent breasts at Charlottesville
1t is by vivid contrast that good and i'll,
tie beauty and deformity, can be best meas
ured- Seen in this kind of luminous air the
present Christmas stands forth like whita
angel upon a sunlit mountain top Peace,
thought, industry, q wider study of light,
a more rational religion have tolled togeth-
| er and have woven for this goddess of De-
cember richer robe and more thornless
crown.
AS in this festivity one can read the gem
eral condition OF an age as to war and peace,
material prosperity and adversely. SO In its
form of happiness chosen by the individ-
uals may be read the progress or decline OF
personal worth holiday Is ALWAYS a test
| of character. The man of bad habits and Of
| weak will power passes without much honor
through this time of merry making He
doubles the quantity OF his food and drink.
he ventures upon q bet or two in the low
card room; and instead of doubling the
happiness OF nus WIG anu cnlioren or Oh MS
mSs<her and sisters, he doubles their anxiety
and grief. It is said that the common Sun
day, which brings peace and rest to the
many, brings temptation and ruin to few
| of strong passion and weak self-controL
I.aborers have often been paid only upon
Monday. that their wages might NOT be con-
nected with an idle day. 1t is = painful re-
Election that such Christmas as the Amer
lean children and older hearts now poss sss
- Christmas rescued from war DestIlence
kingcraft. Puritanism and poverty--should
find many a man wholly unable 10 appre-
ciate the lofty moral beauty OF the day and
able to find in it only temptation to deeper
| vice
Not quite as unfortunate, but yet much ts
be iamented, is the fact that many indussri-
ous and honest people are too poor to cele-
brare this day as it should be marked b,
every Preside. When one sees small CHI